The present invention relates to a nozzle of a flexibile fluid container such as a tubular-like or a bag-like container adapted to discharge contents there from by pressing a body of the container, and also relates to a fluid container having the nozzle.
Various products such as drinks, cosmetics or adhesives which are packed in tubes or bag-like containers, irrespective of their natures or applications, have been commercially widespread.
Features which are common to these products packed in a flexible container are that these products are generally a gel-like fluid, and these products are incompatible with air upon making contact therewith (anaerobic). That is, should the products make contact with the air, they would be oxidized, deteriorated or hardened.
Features of containers to be packed therein with such anaerobic fluid are such that air should be prevented from being drawn into a container by a quantity corresponding to a volume of the fluid which has been discharged from the container, and accordingly, a tube or a bag-like container which can be deformed itself, depending upon a remaining quantity of its contents, has preferably been used. A conventional container of this kind has been composed of a charging part made of a flexible material, and a nozzle part made of a hard material and coupled to the charging part.
Further, since a body of the container is flexible, if a force exerted to the body of the container is released therefrom after contents thereof are discharged therefrom, an interior pressure of the body of the container becomes slightly negative since this container is to restore to its original shape. Accordingly, there may be such a feature that contents thereof are drawn through a tip of the nozzle.
Accordingly, a cap of the nozzle is formed in its inner bottom part with a protrusion for making up for a space defined by contents drawn from the tip of the nozzle.
However, an anaerobic substance is oxidized at once over its surface so as to start deteriorating when it makes contact with air even for a short time and though it quantity is small. If the substance does not deteriorate at an inner portion thereof, although it does at its surface which makes contact with the air, the substance can be used a next time by removing such a deteriorated part therefrom. However, it is usual that deterioration progresses to an inner portion of the substance and propagates in its entirety within a container.
Further, with repetition of removal of a deteriorated part several times, a quantity of the substance to be discarded becomes considerable. If the substance is expensive, it causes a serious problem.
Thus, there has been such a demand that contents are allowed to make contact with air only by a required quantity, and further, the contents are extracted by the required quantity, and are prevented from making contact with the air.
Accordingly, the present invention is devised in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle for a fluid container, which allows contents of the container to be extracted by a required quantity, completely without making contact with air even though a small amount the contents remains in the container, and to provide a fluid container incorporating such a nozzle.
According to the present invention, there is provided a nozzle for a fluid container, characterized in that
(1) the nozzle, provided at a front end of a fluid container, is composed of at least two flexible sheets which are superposed with each other, and which are designed such that their inner surfaces are close contact with one other in a normal state after contents are charged;
(2) the nozzle, provided at a front end of the fluid container, is composed of at least two flexible sheets which are superposed with each other, and which are designed such that their inner surfaces are in close contact with one other in a normal state after contents are charged, and further, close contact at an upstream side of the nozzle is released by contents being expelled toward the nozzle by an internal pressure of the container, but a degree of the close contact becomes higher at a leading end part of the contents since at least one of the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle is bent at this part, thereby inhibiting contents from flowing out of the nozzle;
(3) at least one of the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle is formed at a desired position thereof with a border line serving as a crease;
(4) a hardness of the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle is different between an upstream side and a downstream side of the crease;
(5) a thickness of the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle is different between the upstream side and the downstream side of the crease,
(6) close contact portions of the sheets are curved in their normal state in a three-dimensionally curved surface-like manner;
(7) close contact portions of the sheets are rolled in their normal state;
(8) close contact parts of the sheets are bent in their normal state;
(9) of the flexible sheets, a curved sheet or a sheet on a bending direction side is further provided on its inner side with an elastic member for forcing this sheet to curve or bend, and the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle are extended along rear surfaces of the elastic member so as to be in close contact therewith by an elastic force of the elastic member;
(10) the flexible sheets constituting the nozzle are superposed with each other so as to be formed into a dish-like shape;
(11) at a welded part of the nozzle defining therein a fluid passage, widthwise of the nozzle, a width of the welded part of the nozzle is larger by a desired length on an upstream side of the nozzle than on a downstream side of the nozzle;
(12) at a welded part of the nozzle defining therein a fluid passage, widthwise of the nozzle, after a first welding, welding is again performed by a clamping force higher than that of the first welding;
(13) a tubular part is formed of a desired length at an upstream part of the nozzle;
(14) an upstream part and a downstream part of the nozzle are made respectively of different materials, and are integrally joined with each other on one and the same axis;
(15) a manner of joining an upstream part and downstream part of the nozzle is by performing a thermal welding process;
(16) an inner surface of an upstream tubular part of the nozzle is subjected to a non-thermal welding process; and
(17) two passages are formed.
Further, the fluid container according to the present invention is characterized by:
(1) in a fluid container composed of a nozzle part and a container body part which are integrally incorporated with each other, the nozzle part being formed from at least two flexible sheets which are superposed with each other and are welded to each other along their peripheries, and the nozzle part being characterized by either of the above-mentioned items (1) or (2);
(2) in a fluid container which is formed by flattening a tubular body made of flexible sheets of material, and then by welding and cutting a periphery thereof into a contour shape of the container, a nozzle part being characterized by any one of the above-mentioned items (1) to (12);
(3) a nozzle being removably attached to the fluid container or being integrally incorporated with the fluid container, stated in any one of the above-mentioned items (1) to (17);
(4) the fluid container body being tubular;
(5) the fluid container being a gusset bag;
(6) a member for preventing the flexible sheets from coming into close contact with each other being provided between the nozzle part and the fluid container part; and
(7) filler port being provided, in addition to the nozzle.